EMERGENCY MEDICAL AND AMBULANCE SERVICES IN MOROCCO

AT-A-GLANCE

DIAL 141 or 15 TO CALL AN AMBULANCE IN MOROCCO

In 2014 the ministry of health reported plans to have eight call centers across the country using the number 141 by 2016; ambulances would be dispatched from nearest hospitals

15 is the number of the Civil Protection / Fire Department

There is surprisingly little published about emergency care in Morocco other than government press releases, but it seems that emergency care has become a topic of interest for the government of the past few years and they will be trying to replicate the French model of doctor-based ambulance services

HOW CAN I CALL AN AMBULANCE IN MOROCCO?

It’s very doubtful. 141 and/or 15 seem to be accessible in major cities, but we’ve been very hard-pressed to get any verifiable data. The only information about call centers available on the Moroccan Civil Protection website was a cut-and-paste article from Wikipedia about the French SAMU call centers.

WHAT OTHER EMERGENCY NUMBERS CAN I CALL?

Aside from 141 and 15, here are additional numbers that may assist in finding emergency assistance in Morocco:

No, not really. It’s hard to say because none of the official releases can be backed up by verifiable data, but from the published literature that does exist, Moroccan emergency responders are severely undertrained and under-equipped.

HOW WILL I GET TRANSPORTED?

It is very difficult to confirm the accuracy of claims made by the Moroccan government. While there are plenty of official pronouncements describing their participation in relief efforts, particularly regarding the winter freezes of 2014, the published literature and direct observations of foreign tourists and Peace Corps Volunteers leads us to question the authenticity of government press releases. Efforts to obtain verifiable information from the Moroccan Civil Protection and Red Crescent have not received any reply. In general, it seems that the government vehicles that do exist are maintained in “Parade-ready” condition.

Ground Ambulance in Morocco

The Moroccan Ministry of Health has reported that more than 2100 ambulances provide emergency transport nationwide (45% of which belong to the ministry of health) though these numbers are far below the needs of the population.

In April 2015, the Moroccan ministry of health distributed 138 ambulances to multiple regions and provinces, specifically:

The Ministry of Health has also stated intentions of implement 15 doctor-driven mobile response units (known by their French acronym, SMUR) to make house calls in the thirteen regions, accessible through the same 141 number.

A 2011 evaluation by Tachfouti et al. of trauma care services at a university teaching hospital in Fez reported that “most of the prehospital care was provided by ordinary ambulances lacking basic equipment required for resuscitation” and that Specialized ambulances (presumed to be an ALS ambulance equivalent to the French SMUR vehicle) carried only the following materials and supplies:

Intubation equipment

Incision and drainage apparatus

Fluid administration material

Peripheral venous canula

Transfusion kits

Stretcher

Wheelchair

Air Ambulance in Morocco

Air ambulance services by helicopter (“HeliSMUR”) were also scheduled to be opened by 2016.

118 out of the country’s 142 public hospitals had 24-7 emergency care available provided by generalist physicians supported by some specialists.

Emergency departments are visited by more than 4 million patients each yaer with an annual increase of 10%

By 2016 80 urgent care clinics (“80 unités pour ces urgences médicales de proximité”) would be opened in areas of limited access

HOW WILL I PAY?

“Although some initial emergency medical treatment may be given free, British nationals are likely to be charged for most expenses incurred in Morocco, including tests and investigations, medication and overnight stays in hospital, whether state or private.” – Telegraph.co.uk (15 July 2008)

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This database is intended for people who want to know how to call an ambulance in different countries – a question we happen to be trying to answer ourselves every day.

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